"Might account for the unusual landing flight path patterns that seem to have cropped up again around the airport." One thing I noticed after 9-11. I live right on Mobile Bay and there are a lot of Coast Guard and off-shore oil field crew helicopters that come through here. Prior to 9-11, they flew just along the bay over the water (on their way out into the Gulf) and after 9-11 they are now flying 2-4 miles in-land, over land. My neighbors have commented about this also.
Noticed the same when flights started up after 9/11. Seem to moderate then for the past few weeks, coming in at right angles to the established landing path, banked at angles and seeming sometimes flying a lot faster to land than what i observed last summer, when they would make straight line leisurely landings.
Mobile and those Miss beaches are beautiful.